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Ethical Hacking Syllabus
Roadmap to Ethical Hacking. The complete Ethical Hacking outline — 16 subjects, 53 chapters and 173 topics — laid out so you can see exactly what has to be covered and tick each item off as you go.
Ethical Hacking subjects
Each subject below has its own page with the full chapter → topic → sub-topic tree and a set of real exam-style flashcards.
3 chapters · 12 topics
Networking Fundamentals3 chapters · 12 topics
Footprinting and Reconnaissance3 chapters · 9 topics
Scanning Networks3 chapters · 9 topics
Enumeration3 chapters · 9 topics
System Hacking3 chapters · 9 topics
Malware Threats3 chapters · 10 topics
Sniffing3 chapters · 9 topics
Social Engineering3 chapters · 10 topics
Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attacks4 chapters · 12 topics
Session Hijacking3 chapters · 9 topics
Web Application Hacking4 chapters · 13 topics
Wireless Network Hacking3 chapters · 10 topics
Cryptography4 chapters · 12 topics
Cloud Security4 chapters · 12 topics
Penetration Testing4 chapters · 16 topics
Ethical Hacking flashcard decks
815 question-and-answer cards across 16 decks, written against this syllabus. Preview any deck free.
- Introduction to Ethical Hacking — 51 cards
- Networking Fundamentals — 50 cards
- Footprinting and Reconnaissance — 51 cards
- Scanning Networks — 50 cards
- Enumeration — 51 cards
- System Hacking — 50 cards
- Malware Threats — 50 cards
- Sniffing — 50 cards
- Social Engineering — 50 cards
- Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attacks — 50 cards
- Session Hijacking — 50 cards
- Web Application Hacking — 51 cards
- Wireless Network Hacking — 50 cards
- Cryptography — 60 cards
- Cloud Security — 51 cards
- Penetration Testing — 50 cards
How to work through the Ethical Hacking syllabus
The outline on this page is arranged the way the syllabus itself is: subject, then chapter, then topic, then sub-topic. That last level is what most study plans skip, and it is where coverage actually goes wrong — a chapter marked "done" often has three sub-topics inside it that were never touched.
Weight your plan accordingly: Penetration Testing carries 16 topics while Session Hijacking carries 9. Giving both the same number of weeks is the most common planning mistake for Ethical Hacking.
The ~130 hour estimate above is a first pass only: roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic. Revision cycles, past papers and mocks sit on top of that number.
Ethical Hacking syllabus FAQ
What subjects are in the Ethical Hacking syllabus?
Ethical Hacking covers 16 subjects: Introduction to Ethical Hacking, Networking Fundamentals, Footprinting and Reconnaissance, Scanning Networks, Enumeration, System Hacking, Malware Threats and Sniffing, and 8 more. Together they contain 53 chapters and 173 named topics.
How many topics does the Ethical Hacking syllabus contain?
The full Ethical Hacking outline breaks down into 53 chapters, 173 topics and 0 sub-topics. Penetration Testing is the largest single subject with 16 topics across 4 chapters.
How long does it take to cover the whole Ethical Hacking syllabus?
Roughly 130 hours for one full pass. That estimate allows about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, so it is first-pass coverage — revision, past papers and mock tests sit on top of it. At 3 hours a day that is about 6 weeks.
Are there Ethical Hacking flashcards?
Yes — 815 question-and-answer flashcards across 16 decks, one per subject, written against this syllabus. A sample of every deck is readable on this site for free, and the complete decks are in the Examius app.
Is this Ethical Hacking syllabus free to use?
Yes. Every page here is free to read, and importing the Ethical Hacking syllabus into the Examius app to tick off topics as you finish them is free too. No account is needed to start.
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